Sound Basics

You live in an analog world. The data you receive from the world around you is presented as a continuous stream of information that your eyes, ears, and brain interpret. When sound or video is recorded for use on a computer, it has to be captured in discrete units or bits. By its very nature, digital information cannot be continuous. That presents some challenges.

Note

Think about the differences between an analog watch and a digital watch. An analog watch has hands that are in continuous motion and that can represent every possible increment of time. A digital watch, on the other hand, can display time only in very specific increments—you go from one number to the next without ever seeing any of the values between the two numbers.